Hathras Case: NGO moves Supreme Court seeking to highlight "false narrative" by media against Upper Caste community

An application has been filed in the Supreme Court in relation to the Hathras case calling for Court's intervention to "check the narrative " allegedly peddled through media reporting..The applicant NGO has submitted that it works for the upliftment of economically weaker sections. It has expressed its reservations against invoking the caste of the victim as well as the accused in the Hathras case..The NGO says that there is a need for factual and genuine dissemination of news to ensure the maintenance of peace and harmony and to prevent friction among different communities. This is where the role of the media and responsible reporting becomes pertinent. The application argues that furthering certain narratives by vilifying an entire community and attaching a caste angle in the offence is not a role the media should be playing.."It needs no emphasis that news reporting which tends to cater to speculative theories on such occasions will only lead to inflaming passions and greatly damage the already fragile social fabric of the nation and set back our pursuit of achieving the laudable constitutional goals of equality and fraternity", states the application..The applicant NGO contends that the media, all electronic, print and digital media ran "purely speculative theories", bringing in the caste identities of the victim and the accused and that it blamed an entire section of "upper caste." .However, even if tthis "theory" is disproved in light of subsequent developments, it will have already caused great damage, the applicant argues..The application also stresses that the organization is shocked that the incident took place and condemns it. It also terms the continued social oppression of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities as a "blot on the Indian society and democracy.".However, the debate and discussion around the horrific incident have a tone and tenor that appears to malign an entire community which the media identifies as "upper caste", it is submitted. The applicant adds that this can only be seen as prohibited speech..Citing section 153A of the Indian Penal Code as well as Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution of India, the NGO argues that public order and public harmony are important factors that must be factored in while exercising free speech and press freedom in cases like this.."The guarantee of the fundamental right does prevent the state from making any law, in so far as such law imposes reasonable restrictions on the exercise of the right, in the interest of the sovereignty and integrity of the state, the security of the state, friendly relations with foreign states, public order, decency and morality and in relation to the contempt of court, defamation or incitement to an offence", the applicant adds..The application states that while it is not seeking a gag on the media, the Court should call for reports to assess enforcement of existing rules. .The NGO submits that it seeks to highlight the media reporting conducted in relation to the Hathras case, where the reports suggested the offence to be a caste-based one without ascertaining the veracity of this angle and even before the conclusion of the investigation..The application has been filed through Advocate Suvidutt MS.